Sewing-machine.



H; C. ELDREDGE 8: C. H. LADD'.

SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATIQN FiLED DEC. 8. I916.

Patented Nov. 27, 191?. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 mlnnnlllnnmumnunnumaw tantra sands en rance onnroa HENRY C. ELDREDGE, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, AND CALEB H. LADD, 0F DAYTON, KENTUCKY.

SEWING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2?, 19112..

Application filed December 8, 1916. Serial No. 135,891.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY C. ELDREDGE and CALEB H. LADD, citizens of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, Hamilton county, Ohio, and Dayton, in the county of Campbell and State of Kentucky, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in sewing machines. One of its objects is to provide improved sewing machine mechanism to sew extra thick, stiff or resisting articles such as books, papers, leather, and the like. Another object is to provide improved needle guiding and supporting mechanism. Another object is to provide improved needle lubricating means. Another object is to provide for detaching or withdrawing the needle from the article being sewed. Another object is to provide'feeding mechanism in combination with the foregoing means. Our invention also comprises certain details of form, combination and arrangement, all of which will be fully set forth in the description of the drawings, in which:

Figure 1, is a front elevation of a sewing machine head embodying our improvements.

Fig. 2, is a perspective view of a portion of the feeding mechanism detached.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the sewing machine head, partly in section.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the needle supporting, lubricating, and stripping mechanism detached.

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail on line Z Z of Fig. 4.

The accompanying drawings represent the preferred embodiment of our invention in which A represents the sewing table, B the overhanging arm, D a reciprocating needle bar and E a presser foot to engage the upper face of the work W.

Mounted on the table A and preferably serving as an edge guide for the work, is a rigid standard or bracket 2 secured by bolts 3 to the table, and preferably adjustable within prescribed limits with reference to the table by slotting the openings through which the bolts 8 pass. The standard 2 is provided with vertical ways 4: which serve as guides for a vertically adjustable member 5 which serves to support the needle laterally and'to strip the needle from the work. The member 5 after being adjusted to the desired height above the table A is rigidly locked to the standard 2 by means of the bolts 6 threaded thereto and traveling in slot 7 in the standard 2.

If desired, set screws 8 may also be provided to adjust the member 5 and resist the upward end thrust thereon.

The needle bar D is guided in bearings 9 and 10 in the forked arms 11 and 12 of the overhanging arm B and is reciprocated endwise in said bearings by means of a pitinan 1e pivoted at one end to the needle bar and at the opposite end to a crank and cam wheel 15 mounted on the belt driven shaft 16. A needle 17 is attached by means of a set screw 18 to the lower end of the needlebar. The member 5 has a cup or recess 19 in its upper face and a perforation 20 through which the threaded needle passes, and by which the needle is supported laterally While being forced to penetrate the Work. The cup 19 serves to hold a limited quantity of a substantially solid pulverulent lubricant, a suflicient amount of which attaches to the needle and thread to lubricate the needle in its passage through the perforation 20 and through the work. The needle is threaded in the usual manner, not shown, by means of an eye near the point of the needle. The lower face of the member 5 is preferably adjusted to be just out of con tact with the work or in light contact therewith, but in position when the needle is being retracted to take the strain incident to stripping the work from the needle instead of relying upon the presser foot to meet the strain of stripping the work from the needle.

As soon as the needle is free from the work on its upward stroke the work be ing yieldingly pressed downwardly by the presser foot E is practically free from e11- gagement with the under face of member 5, and held in engagement with a reciprocating rack feed bar 22 of the usual type operating upon the under face of the work through a slot 24 in the table A, and reciprocated in unison with the movements of the needle bar by mechanism of the usual sewing machine type, not illustrated. The periodical forward movement of the feed bar 22 ef fects aforward step by step feed of the work.

The presser foot E is carried by an arm or shank which is pivotally attached at its upper end to a member 26 carried rigidly by a block or head 27 rigidly attached to a reciprocating presser foot bar 28 which is mounted in bearings29 and 30 in the arms 11 and 12 of the overhanging arm B. The p'resser foot bar 28 is movable endwise in its bearings to alternately seat the presser foot on the upper face of the work and to lift it therefrom, which movement is preferably effected by means of a bell crank lever 39, pivoted at 31 to the arm B and having at the end of one arm a roller 32 to engage and travel in the cam groove The opposite end of bell crank lever 39 is attached by a link 3% to the head 27 carried by the bar 28.

As considerable pressure is required to be exerted by the presser foot upon the work, a coiled spring 35 on the bar 28 is employed to bear against and force the head 27 downwardly, and also preferably a spring arm 36 with means 37 to vary its tension, is arranged to bear yieldingly upon the end of the bar 28.

The shank 25 is mounted in a guide slot 38 at the free end of the arm 12, so as to have a limited movement in the direction the workis being fed. Thus the presser foot E remains in yielding contact with and moves forward with the work as the rack bar 22 thrusts the work forward on the table A. As soon as the forward feed of the work has been completed the cam and bell crank lever 39 lift the presser foot from the work whereupon a spring 40 attached at one end to a curved finger 11 carried by the presser foot, and at the opposite end to the arm 12 of the overhanging arm, causes the shank 25 to traverse its guide slot 38 and resume its vertical position ready to again engage the work for another feeding operation. A hand lever 44 to be lifted and locked in its elevated position, serves to hold the presser foot out of contact with the work.

We are thus enabled to successfully sew objects such as books of exceptional thickness, guiding and supporting the needle in its penetration of the work, stripping the work from the needle and effecting a satisfactory feed of the work. For certain classes of work members 2 and 5 are carried by and relative to the overhanging arm B.

The mechanism herein illustrated and described is capable of considerable modifica= tion without departing from the principle of our invention. 7

Having described our invention, what we claim is:

1. A sewing machine comprising a reciprocating needle, a table to support one face of the work, means operable relative to said table to engage one face of the work to feed the work forward, a member supported rigidly relative to the table in position to be for the passage of the needle and serving as a lateral support for the needle in penetrat ing the work and to strip the work from the needle when the needle is retracted, and a presser-foot to intermittently and yieldingly engage the work adjacent to said needle supporting and stripping member.

2. A sewing machine comprising a reciprocating needle, a table to support one face of the work, means operable relative to said table to engage one face of the work to feed the work forward, a member supported rig idly relative to the table in position to be engaged by the opposite face of the work to oppose movement of the Work at substantially right angles away from the face ofthe table, said member having a perforation for the passage of the needle and serving as a lateral support for the needle in penetrating the work and to strip the work from the needle when the needle is retracted, and a prcsser-foot yieldingly held in engagement with the work and its work engaging surface movable with the'work. V

3. A sewing machine comprising areciprocating needle, a table to support one face of the work, a feed rack carried by and 0perable relative to said table to engage one face of the work to feed the work forward, a member supported'rigidly relative to the table in position to be engaged by the opposite face of the work to oppose movement of the work at substantially right angles away from the face of the table, said memher having a perforation for the passage of the needle and serving as a lateral support for the needle in penetrating the work and to strip the work from the needle when the needle is retracted, and a presser-foot to in termittently and yieldingly engage the work adjacent to said needle supporting and stripping member.

4. A sewing machine comprising a reciprocating needle, a table to support one face of the Work, a feed rack carried by and operable relative to said table to engage one face of the work to feed the Work forward, a member supported rigidly relative to the table in position to be engaged bv the opposite face of the work to oppose movement of the work at substantially right angles away from the face of the table, said member having a perforation for the passage of the needle and serving as a lateral support for the needle in penetrating the work and to strip the work from the needle when the needle is retracted, and a Presser-foot yieldingly held in engagement with the work and its work engaging surface movable with the work. r V V 5. A'sewing machine comprising a sewing-table to support one face of the work, means operable relative to said table to feed the work forward thereon, a reciprocating needle-bar provided with a needle, a member rigidly supported relative to said table in position to be engaged by the opposite side.-

of the work, said member having a perforation for the passage of and lateral support of the needle, and a lubricant receptacle to guide a lubricant to the bearing faces where said needle passes through said perforation.

6. A sewing machine comprising a reciprocating needle, a table to support one face of the work, means operable relative to said table to engage one face of the work to feed the Work forward, an adjustable member adapted to be supported rigidly relative to C. W. Mrtns, RALPH H. INoT'r.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of "Eatents, Washington, D. G. 

